The Firefighter

Chapter 18 - The Honeymoon

For their honeymoon, they decided to travel to Fiji. The idea of going to an archipelago of more than 300 islands, appealed to both of them. It's famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain most of the population. Viti Levu is home to the capital, Suva, a port city with British colonial architecture. The Fiji Museum, in the Victorian-era Thurston Gardens, has ethnographic exhibits.

They packed and left the sheep farm behind as they headed out to their dream holiday. Charlotte had made sure that there wouldn't be any cyclones such as cyclone Sarai that had brought heavy rain and strong winds to Fiji in the past. Fortunately, the weather bureau had predicted excellent weather, so they planned to swim and snorkel around the islands.

When they got to their hotel, a bowl of fruit and a cold bottle of champagne awaited them. Oliver carried Charlotte over the doorstep and laid her down gently on the bed.

"It's taken us a lifetime to get to this point, my darling," he said, in the understatement of the century.

"I know," she replied and gave him a warm smile.

They relaxed together and then went out for dinner and a show. She loved the Fijian meke dance which was part of the show. It demonstrated the cultural traditions of those living in Fiji and how they valued their ancestry. The dance was a combination of dance and storytelling. It was a way of recording their stories for future generations. Charlotte and Oliver received a free program and could read through the history of the dance and customs of the Fijian people. Charlotte knew that Fiji had an awesome culture, as well as a world class Sevens Rugby team, so she was just so happy to be sharing this all with the love of her life, Oliver.

Oliver watched Charlotte's face as she got up to join in the dancing. Even at her age, she had a zest for life and loved getting involved in new activities. These were some of the many things that he loved about her. He sat back watching her dance with a range of people and in his heart, a flood of affection swept through him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. She was the love of his life, his soulmate.

Finally, he got up off his chair and started to dance with her in a slow, rhythmic manner. The orange light from the flames of the small fire on the beach, spread over them and lit them up in its glow. They felt safe as the small fire was surrounded by wet sand and was being tended to by the hotel staff. After dancing for an hour and having more drinks, they decided to retire to their room and celebrate each other's company in more depth.

The honeymoon continued with more sightseeing and lovemaking until they both felt sated. This had been everything that Charlotte had wanted in a relationship with her firefighter, the ever-great Oliver!